Software
Houzz Logo Print
sbm321

Looking for opinions on art placement

14 years ago

First let me say that I didn't "stage" these photos so you're seeing our usual daily clutter, which I hope you will ignore. :)

We bought 2 new paintings a couple of weeks ago. The first is in our family room which is open to the kitchen. I placed a console table under the painting and I'm happy with both the painting and the table, but I'm trying to play around with the placement of the table so we can have a lamp on the table. So, in this picture, the painting is centered on the wall, but the console is over to the left so a lamp can be placed there. The lamp that is there is just one that we had hanging around, not necessarily the "final" lamp. Do you think it's too odd to have the table NOT centered under the painting? And if you don't think it's too odd, what else would you put on the top of the console? That's just a pumpkin sitting there, which obviously isn't permanent. I had in mind a somewhat rustic, painted (maybe gold, or green) wooden box, but can't seem to find anything like that.


The other painting is in the living room. It has taken us years to buy a painting for over the sofa and we found something we both love. Because our room is so long and narrow, it's hard to get a pic that shows this whole wall, but this is close. Just a couple of inches from the end of the wood chair on the right is an open doorway to the foyer, and then the room ends. So my question is whether we need anything else on this wall? The wall opposite this wall is busy, with another doorway, the fireplace w/ art and sconce lights over it, and the TV on a stand, etc... so I'm not sure if I feel that this sofa wall is relatively naked and makes the room feel unbalanced, or if its relative nakedidity (new word) is a good thing, like a "rest" from the busier wall. Does that make sense?

Sorry about the lighting, very dark and dreary day.

If it matters -- we have a new sofa on the way that is a few inches shorter than this one.

Comments (37)

  • 14 years ago

    I would center the table and let the lampshade cover the corner of the picture.

  • 14 years ago

    1) The painting AND the table look wonderful. Period. And I LOVE the lamp too. Look for a wonderful pottery or dark metal bowl for those times when a perfect pumpkin is not available. Honestly -- that pumpkin is the perfect plump addition to the whole scene.

    2) LOVE this painting too!! I love that it shines in its own visual space inside the lamps. Now -- OUTSIDE the lamps -- yes -- you could add a couple of smaller artworks or even a vertical row of two or three smaller artworks. Maybe with the same theme -- outdoor scenes? Add a very large flat white bowl (look for pasta serving bowls) filled with green apples during the warmer months on the coffee table.

    Gorgeous choices. Love your home! :)

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage

  • 14 years ago

    ........ o.k. ....... do try moving the table to the right a couple of inches ..... until the lamp just grazes over a corner of the painting .....

    Jan

  • 14 years ago

    Jan, just realizing I should have been more specific. Yes, I meant outside the lamps -- I keep thinking maybe something over that chair on the right.

    Thanks for your enthusiastic compliments! We love both paintings, too. (Um, we went to the gallery "just looking" for one painting... and came home with two!)

  • 14 years ago

    Okay, here is the table centered under the painting. I have to say, I am not feeling the lamp in this position.

  • 14 years ago

    this may be a bit annoying .... but move the table to the left just slightly -- so that the shade JUST touches the frame/edge of the painting ....

    yes ... I AM that annoying ..... LOL! :)

    Jan

  • 14 years ago

    Love the painting. Do you mind telling us where you got it? I love the feel of it. In your initial photo, the lamp looked fine, but for some reason, when you centered the console, I don't "love" it there. It looks good, but I know what you mean about not feeling it. May be a shorter lamp? What does the rest of that sofa wall look like? May be a photo from farther back would help. I could may be see a smaller piece of art over that chair or in the corner, but I'd have to see the rest of the room. i wouldn't put something over the lamps.

  • 14 years ago

    Could part of the lamp problem be that you see the cord? That's always been kind of a thing with me, I hate seeing cords. What I usually do is pull the cord over a bit to the table leg and fasten it with some dark twist ties or something so you don't see a cord sticking down under the table. Love the painting and I agree the pumpkin looks great there. Maybe it's the style of lamp that's not right,or maybe its the color of the shade.

  • 14 years ago

    gobruno, that second pic of the living room does show the whole wall, except for the doorway that is next to the chair on the right. As I said in my original post, that's as far back as I could get. The painting in the family room is from a New England painter named Peter Batchelder. I love every work of his that I have seen!

    sjt -- oh, I have cord issues too! Once I have this scenario figured out, I will be hiding the cord, don't worry.

    This wasn't necessarily meant to be *the* lamp that would stay here. Maybe a different lamp would make all the difference. I'm thinking round shade instead of square, for one thing. And maybe something a little beefier. This lamp looks a bit dinky next to the painting -- funny how much looking at photos of the room, versus standing in the room, gives such a different perspective. This particular lamp is nothing special -- it's from Target and I moved it up from the basement playroom just to see how a lamp would work.

  • 14 years ago

    After checking my decor books -- perhaps the first location is the best one for the console table and the lamp placement.

    BUT what if you added a tall floor vase to the right-hand side -- maybe with some tall sticks in it?

    Again -- just a thought!

  • 14 years ago

    Having the table off center to the picture would bother me, unless Jans idea of floor vase worked.

  • 14 years ago

    I love the paintings! I have several old barn paintings/prints, but none like yours. How about a lamp like the one below? It would play off your painting.
    Dee

    Here is a link that might be useful: Lamp

  • 14 years ago

    Dee, that lamp is so cute, but I have my heart set on a lamp that would work as a reading lamp. In the four years since we've done this addition, I never had a table on that side of the room so we had nowhere to put a lamp. I'm so happy to finally have a place to put a lamp -- so I need a more practical fixture.

    I know what you mean about needing a floor vase or something similar. There is a ceramic horse sitting there now which you can barely see, but I need something taller. Floor vases are dangerous in a house w/ two dopey bulldogs, but maybe I'll come up with a similar solution. For now, I'm still thinking off-center works better than centered. My taste is more eclectic; I definitely see that in a more traditionally decorated house, this would be wacky.

  • 14 years ago

    I would centre the table under the picture, it would bother me. The colors looks great in your room.

    Cant see the second picture but the size looks good. I would like to see it a couple of inches higher though.

  • 14 years ago

    Just throwing this out for ideas - how about two matching buffet lamps, one on either side of the painting. I like the table centered, I think it would not look right to my eye if it was off. Or maybe no lamp and a floor lamp for a reading light.

  • 14 years ago

    Though I love lamps and a lamp on that table may be a good idea, it won't serve as a reading lamp. A reading lamp needs to be next to a chair.

    As I look at the painting, my eye follows the angle of the barn shadow left and down towards the lamp.

    I like the idea of a floor lamp and centering the table under the picture.

  • 14 years ago

    Gray, I'm confused by your first statement -- maybe it's hard to tell in the photo, but the left side of the console table is only a few inches away from the arm of the sofa. So that lamp would serve as a reading lamp for anyone (me) sitting on that end of the sofa.

    A floor lamp would be a great solution, except...there is a heat/ac vent on the floor in the exact spot where a floor lamp could sit.

    If I centered the console under the painting, and tried to put a lamp on either side, there wouldn't be enough space for the lamps/shades without covering quite a bit of the painting. The painting is about 32" wide and the console is 48" wide. That leaves only about 8" on each side.

  • 14 years ago

    Oh look, I actually do have room for a floor lamp. What do you think of this? I can move the lamp over a bit so the shade is more centered between the painting and the end of the wall.

    Discuss among yourselves. I'm having an anxiety attack on my way out to a dentist appointment now. Whine.

  • 14 years ago

    Love the floor lamp -- sleek option!

    Sorry about the dentist -- I am such a baby over the dentist -- have nightmares and weep during the whole time!

    Jan

  • 14 years ago

    Love the new artwork. Target has a pottery bowl in their decor section which has rich shades of autumn. The bowl itself is supposed to be a handthrown look with a red glaze. It would look great under that painting filled with a few organic moss ball's etc. There is also a plaid throw that comes in two different colorways that may be a nice addition on the sofa.

  • 14 years ago

    Yes, that looks good with the floor lamp. Lovely paintings.
    The painting in the living room is too low, I know you said
    your new sofa is lower and that's good, however the painting
    should be 3 to 4 inches higher than it is.

    '

  • 14 years ago

    I love both paintings; would love to see another shot of the painting over sofa. I like artwork low, connected to furnishings. Lovely. The floor lamp seems right to me.

    Good luck with the dental appointment. I had a root canal last Thursday & to my astonishment, survived.

  • 14 years ago

    I like the floor lamp, but I also liked the table when it was NOT centered. I have done that with one of our paintings. The table edge lines up with the edge of the painting on one side and extends beyond the painting on the other, leaving room for a lamp. I used a fairly large lamp with a wide shade and it does not graze the edge of the painting, but is placed so it meets the lower corner but does not overlap. Does that make sense? Anyway, I love the way it looks and I really liked your that way as well.

  • 14 years ago

    kkay, I hope I am as fortunate as you were. I am having a root canal on Wednesday. Jan, I will have conscious sedation so I will only be dimly aware that I am even in the dentist's chair.

    I'm going to live with the floor lamp for a bit and see how I like it. This particular floor lamp belongs to the dining room/library, so I would still have to find one for this space, or else a new one for the other room.

    I'll see what DH thinks when he gets home. He thought I was nuts for putting the console off center!

  • 14 years ago

    Looks great with the floor lamp.

  • 14 years ago

    sueb, I am sure it will go smoothly for you--sending good thoughts your way! I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly and painlessly mine went. I didn't have conscious sedation, just a few shots to numb the area. Whew!

  • 14 years ago

    I think your barn art looks great, pretty much as you have it. The painting over sofa also looks wonderful, but I think it is a bit lost. Sorry! It needs to be anchored, but the sofa is too large to serve that purpose, IMO.

  • 14 years ago

    looks good with the floor lamp.

  • 14 years ago

    Sue, love the painting. I won't comment on the placement of the table and lamp, because I am too busy looking at that rug! Can you tell me the name of the rug and what type it is? And also, what is your wall color?

  • 14 years ago

    Thanks, Jockewing! It's a Nourison Nourmak rug. I have a similar rug -- same brand, similar colors, different pattern -- in my living room. Both are flat weave rugs. You can find them at decorarug.com. I'm really happy with them. We have 2 dogs and they don't show the fur! And I like the colors and patterns. And the wall color is BM Cheyenne Green.

  • 14 years ago

    definitely the floor lamp between the choice of lamps. The original lamp IMO is just too short. Unless you have a taller table lamp you can use on the table, I vote staying with the floor lamp.

    With a table lamp I prefer the table/pic off center

  • 14 years ago

    DonâÂÂt care for the floor lamp - it feels disconnected from the table and art.

    I would move the table to the right, so that the table is just a couple of inches left of the painting, and put the lamp on the right side of the table - basically, the opposite of your first arrangement, tho without the edge of the table lining up with the edge of the art.

    I think your art needs to come down half the distance that is there now between it and the table.

    Then I would look for a lamp that is a bit taller, with a shade that is angled, to pick up on the shape of the roof in the art. By having the lamp on the right, it also works with the natural shadows in the painting, as if it is helping to create those shadows.

    Maybe a lamp something like this? It has the black simple lines in the frame of the art, and the coffee table in front of the couch, and even the legs of the table, but is more open to make it not feel too bulky or in the way of the art. But I believe it is taller than what you were showing us in your first pix:

    metal cage lamp

    Other than the lamp, once you move the art down I donâÂÂt think you need anything else on the table. Would love to see something else in the room, perhaps a throw or pillows on the couch, to pull some of the great colors from the art into the space.

    As for the art over the couch, if you are getting another couch, I would just wait to make any decisions about what more is needed or how to hang that .

  • 14 years ago

    I like the floor lamp but my honest first thought was 2 tall, skinny buffet lamps~~~

    I would do 2 sconces or plates on either side of the couch painting, too. Beautiful new artwork, btw~~ !

  • 14 years ago

    I was less happy with the floor lamp as the day went on yesterday. Something about making that little spot near the sofa feel too crowded. I think I'm going to go back to the off-center table and a table lamp (different one, taller). Les, I need the lamp to be on the left side because that is where I need the reading lamp. There is no chair or anything by the right side of the table. The point of the lamp is wanting some accent lighting by the loveseat.

    I actually have a throw that is similar to the green in the roof of the painting, but DD keeps taking it into the other room.

    As for the living room, I am happy with the height of the painting. It works for me. The new sofa will not be shorter in height, it will be shorter in length. I don't want to put anything on either side of the painting (close to it) but I was more thinking that we may put something else over that wood chair on the right. At the moment I'm just going to leave that alone until the new sofa arrives. We're also about to begin a minor basement/playroom overhaul... don't ask me how we ended up doing so much (and spending so much) all at once!... so I need to turn my attention to that soon.

  • 14 years ago

    I don't have a pic yet, but just wanted to report that I was at Target this morning and found a lamp that I think works well. I have the console back to its original spot, uncentered, with the lamp on the left again. The new lamp is a few inches taller and a bit bulkier -- actually now that I look back at Les' lamp above, it's very similar but a little more round (and almost $100 less!). Will post a pic later! Thanks everyone for your thoughtful feedback.

  • 14 years ago

    If it were me, and I know it's not...

    I would lower the painting a bit, lose the table lamp and try to find one of those sleek lights that go over the painting. I think the painting is so nice that I wouldn't want anything competing with it. The table lamp seems to be trying to grab your attention.

    (and I didn't read all the responses, so sorry if someone already suggested this and had it shot down)

  • 14 years ago

    Bee, I would have done that from the beginning and in fact when we first brought a different painting home from the gallery, the owner gave us a picture light to try with it, but this falls under the category of decorating for the way you live... I just really want a lamp in this space, and I have noplace else to put one. There is an end table at the opposite end of the sofa, but it's in the middle of the room (a few steps away from our kitchen table/window seat), so there's no outlet. So I am stubbornly insisting on having an accent lamp somewhere in this spot.